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Maurice Richard "Pro" Lerner (December 20, 1935 – September 5, 2013) was a
Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
hit man Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
connected with the
Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family, family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based ...
who was convicted of murder in 1970. His conviction was overturned due to unethical behavior by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
and its chief witness.


Early life

Lerner was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 20, 1935 to Samuel and Doris Lerner. His father was a small-time bookie. He played
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
for his high school in Brookline, Massachusetts
batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.364 in his senior year. After he graduated, Lerner served two years in the US Marines, before signing on with the Erie Senators, and played minor league baseball through 1963. Lerner compiled a career batting average of .308 with 24 home runs and 225 RBI in his 482-game career with the Erie Senators, Boise Braves,
Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season, ...
, Topeka Hawks,
Wilson Tobs The Wilson Tobs are an amateur baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League, an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the ...
, Jacksonville Braves,
Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...
, Savannah Pirates, Charlotte Hornets,
Macon Peaches The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century. Although Macon did not field teams during and immediately after World War I, the height of the Great ...
, Raleigh Capitals and
York White Roses The York White Roses was the name of a minor league baseball team in the city of York, Pennsylvania, US, that existed from 1894–1969. History Early years The York White Roses began as members of the short-lived Keystone Association in 1884. ...
. Lerner also played for the Winter League in Nicaragua during the 59-60 season Johnny Pesky told reporters:
" ernermust have hit .800 against us in the playoffs. We only got him out three times and twice on line drives. He's a tall, rangy boy with great determination. He hit about .360 in the regular season. They tried playing Lerner at third and at second and finally shifted him to the outfield. If I had him, I might use him in right field because he can run and has a real good arm. "In some ways he reminds you of George Kell. He's that kind of a hitter. He wears glasses, and while he doesn't look like Dom DiMaggio, he can cover more ground and can run faster. He stole six bases in the play-offs. He stole second and third against us on consecutive pitches."


Criminal activities

Lerner became acquainted with mobster John "Red" Kelley in late 1962. The two men were seen frequently together. On June 9, 1965, Lerner was arrested on an outstanding fugitive from justice charge while sitting in Kelley's car. The warrant had been issued in December 1962 in Knox County, Tennessee charging Lerner with three counts of forging and uttering checks amounting to $140.


Patriarca Family murder trial

Lerner, Patriarca family boss Raymond Patriarca and three other members of the family, Robert Fairbrothers, John Rossi, and Rudolph Sciarra, were tried in 1970 for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Irish Mafia mobster John "Red" Kelley, a sometime associate of the family, gave testimony as a cooperating witness linking Lerner, Patriarca and other family members to the 1968 murder of Rudolph "Rudy" Marfeo and Anthony Melei. Kelley testified he had been contracted by Lerner to help plan the hit on Marfeo and Melei, whom Lerner allegedly murdered with a shotgun. After the trial, Kelley went into the federal
witness protection program Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
. Lerner and Patriarca were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lerner also was convicted of two counts of murder for which he was sentenced to two life terms in addition to the ten years for conspiracy, all of the sentences to be served consecutively. The jury was unable to reach a verdict for the other defendants. Lerner's conviction subsequently was overturned by the
Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...
in 1988. It had been established that Kelley had perjured himself at the trial, as had F.B.I. Special Agent H. Paul Rico, who had collaborated Kelley's testimony. The Court ruled, in the case Lerner v. Moran 542 A.2d 1089 (1988):
...that Kelley's perjury, elicited by the FBI, constituted material exculpatory evidence withheld in violation of the applicant's due-process rights. We also hold that the trial justice correctly denied the applicant's motion to dismiss his indictment.
The court vacated his conviction and ordered a new trial. He pleaded no contest and was released due to time served.


Personal life

Lerner and his wife, Arrene, had a son and a daughter. He died in 2013.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Maurice 1936 births Patriarca crime family Mafia hitmen Sportspeople from Brookline, Massachusetts Baseball players from Massachusetts Erie Senators players Boise Braves players Topeka Hawks players Yakima Braves players Wilson Tobs players Jacksonville Braves players Atlanta Crackers players Savannah Pirates players Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players Macon Peaches players Raleigh Capitals players York White Roses players 2013 deaths